For this week’s New Thing I decided to try my hand, or in this case my hips, at belly dancing. I took a beginners’ class with Alexia at Knox Dance Worx. The class was small, which meant the students got a lot of individual attention. This worked well for me because I am completely uncoordinated and apparently have no idea how to shake my hips. I fail as a girl.

We each wore belly dancing hip scarves. Mine was black velvet with gold coins that made noise when they shook. Frankly, shaking my hips (or attempting to) and making the coins clank together might have been my favorite part of the evening. It’s hard not to smile when your clothing makes noise.

We also had great vibey music. I believe this is one of the songs we danced to. According to Google, the song is about a woman who is claiming her independence from her guy, telling him that her looks can stop 100 men in their tracks, that he doesn’t appreciate her true worth, and he shouldn’t chase her when she leaves. All I know is that I want her wardrobe. If anyone knows what she is actually saying, please fill me in. After watching the video a few times I’m pretty curious.

The class started with some basic stretches, including a few yoga postures, to limber up. We then tried a few beginner moves which isolated different parts of the body, mainly the hips, chest, and stomach. For me, this involved a lot of awkward undulating. Once we had the basics down, she started to teach us some dance steps. This actually took quite a bit of concentration. Our hands, feet, and hips were all moving in different directions; it was much more difficult than I expected. My favorite moves were shimmying my hips (mainly because it made the hip scarf make a lot of noise) and the hip hits (which simulate closing a car door with your hip). Overall, it was a ton of fun and a great core workout.

This is Alexia teaching me to be a diva (like I needed any help with that):

Even though I was completely terrible at belly dancing, I had an amazing time and couldn’t stop smiling. I definitely plan to go back and try it again soon. Practice makes perfect!